Forbidden Skills
by Alexnandru Van Gordon
Summary: When Kakashi stumbles across an unexpected gift, new enemies are on his tail. But how is he supposed to deal with it if he doesn’t even know he has the strange power to begin with?
1. Chapter one: From the start

Forbidden Skills

Alexnandru Van Gordon and Namu

**A/N: **Alex: Alrighty—don't anybody get angry at me because I've been lazy with fan-fiction and only got back into shape because my younger sister wants me to write a story. It's really co-written.

Namu: …Yo.

Alex: _(Awkward silence) _Okay then…This is my buddy Namu, and together we're going to tell you the tale of Kakashi…

Namu: "A" tale….Kakashi doesn't really have one specific tale.

Alex: -.-…Okay Mr. Know-it-all…do you think you know everything about the Naruto show?

Namu: …More or less. Why?

Alex: Hmmm….what's the breed of Kakashi's third eldest dog?

Namu: What do I look like, his stalker?

Alex: O…K…_ON WITH THE STORY!_

**Signs:**

"_Blah blah blah…" _—someone unseen or new to the scene is talking

'_Blah blah blah…'_ –someone's thoughts

"Blah blah blah…" –someone's speech/talking

-NarutoNarutoNaruto –this is a break in time or space (scene change)

**Summary: **When Kakashi stumbles across an unexpected gift new enemies are on his tail. But how is he supposed to deal with it if he doesn't even know he has the strange power to begin with?

**Important note:** This is before all hell breaks lose and Sasuke is still with the group. Orochimaru is in existence in the story, but whether or not he will make a brief appearance has yet to be decided. There is a different villain in this tale—and NO, it's Kakashi…

**Disclaimer:** We don't own 'Naruto' or anything from the show.

**CHAPTER ONE: From the start…**

Perhaps he was floating in a dream…all memory was lost, but his senses were as acute as ever and he was sure that everything was real. But, to be frank…he had no idea what the hell was going on. There was a brief flash of light and then everything came into focus.

_Where_ he was exactly was still a mystery but the scenery was clearing—he was somewhere dark and dank, cold as Snow Country and as musky as the academy on a hot summer's day. He was startled to find himself underground (more so startled that he couldn't remember how he got there), but he didn't let it get to his head. Body tense, Hatake Kakashi, took up a fighting stance and prepared for the worst.

But he was alone…So far as he could tell; there was no possible way anyone could hide in that room with him. It was dim, lit solely by a few candle stands in the far corners of the room, and before him lay a set of stairs leading up to a pair of grand oaken doors. Intricate symbols were craved into the woodwork and slowly, pushed from the other side; they began to swing open for him.

A bright light blinded most of his view, but he could make out the blurry silhouette of the doors as they continued to open outward—

Then BAM! His head was throbbing and darkness clouded his view…

"NO!"

A scream wasn't the most pleasant sound to wake up to, but at least he knew he was still alive. Hopefully that wasn't a glimpse of heaven he just saw.

"I'm telling you, Naruto, it's a stupid idea!"

He _had_ to open his eye. Knowing that he was with his group was a reassuring thought, but to hear them arguing about yet another dumb idea set his nerves on end. They….were capable of many things, quite a few of which were problematic.

Sighing to himself as he stared up at the two red faces of Sakura and Naruto, one on each side of his head, he watched quietly for a moment as they bickered amongst each other before moving his right hand to adjust his mask.

Someone moved it slightly…Probably Naruto's doing…

Head aching, he intervened before his brain had the chance to explode.

"No one died while I was asleep, did they?"

"_Ah!_ Kakashi Sensei, we didn't mean to wake you…"

With a remarkable amount of effort, Kakashi was able to sit up in bed. "No worries, Sakura. What's…going on?"

He didn't need to ask where he was—the hospital was the same as ever. _Why_ he was there was another matter altogether.

"We found you in the forest, Sensei." Sakura recalled. "Actually, Naruto found you when he _fell_ on you…Does your head hurt at all?"

To be honest…yes, very much so. It felt like someone dropped a stack of bricks on his head from the top of a building.

"…Somewhat."

Sakura pointed to Naruto—who was still rambling on idly in the background. "You can thank him for that. But, if he hadn't fallen through the hole, we wouldn't have found you in the first place…What were you doing down there in anyway, Sensei?"

"I…don't really know." He admitted. "To be honest with you, I have no idea there was a 'hole' in the forest."

"It was hidden." Sasuke said from where he sat in the corner. Arms and legs crossed, he looked rather bored. "And it wasn't that big either. _Only _Naruto would have been able to fall through it."

Well, that was all fine and dandy, but Kakashi knew the forest well enough to pick out all the little caves and old rabbit holes lying around—and he highly doubted he fell down one. He must have found it…but how, and why on earth did he go down it?

The room.

"Do you remember how big the hole was?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know…it was really dark when we came down to help Naruto. But there were vines and leaves everywhere—it couldn't have been bigger than half the size of this room."

Well then, that had to be impossible. Unless he went walking after the two doors opened, then someone (or thing) had carried him off somewhere else. The room he remembered was expansive.

But he couldn't dwell on the subject now. The last thing he wanted to do was startle his group. They could be rather jumpy…

"Did you guys carry me here?" He asked, scooting backwards to rest his back against the wall at the head of the bed.

"Well, we had a problem getting two people out through the hole at once." Sakura explained. "It was big enough for someone to slide down into, but to get out we needed a rope or something. We returned back to the academy and met up with Iruka and Gai Sensei, and since Naruto fell on his head, Iruka Sensei had to carry him back. Sasuke went off to do something, so Gai Sensei carried you back for me."

Great…now he had to search down Gai and thank him _personally_. If not for their petty rivalry then it wouldn't have been a problem, but now Gai had something to gloat about.

What a _wonderful_ day…

"And…I've been out all day?" He asked, staring at the window. It was dark outside, the middle of the night by what he could tell.

"No." Naruto muttered, now quiet in his seat. "You've been out for three."

Three…three _days_? What on earth hit him! Wait…that would be Naruto.

"Three?" He asked aloud to verify.

"Yeah." Naruto sighed. "Did someone attack you?"

Sakura somehow found that funny and began to laugh. "No—I think it was because Naruto fell on your head—"

"HEY!" The head-strong youth jumped to his feet and pointed an accusative finger at his teammate. "You even admitted you landed on us both when jumped down! You're not innocent!"

Sakura huffed and crossed her arms, choosing to ignore the statement. "You didn't look injured, Sensei. We thought you passed out from exhaustion or from falling down much like Naruto did. Can you remember anything at all?"

"No…"

"What's the last thing you remember than?"

"…Eating _diet _Ramen."

Sakura blinked. "…Why were you eating that?"

"…Don't remember. I sat down to eat lunch with Iruka and he told me to try it…It tastes exactly like normal ramen."

Sakura shook her head and said nothing, but by the twitch of her eye he could tell she was having another conversation with her aggressive inner self. He didn't know if she was aware of the fact that some people thought she was schizophrenic—not that he thought that…but she tended to mutter to herself at odd times and it was beginning to worry him.

"I think I need to take a walk."

"Good luck." Naruto muttered, now resigning to leaning back in his chair.

Good luck? What was that supposed to mean.

Throwing the quilt off his body, he then saw his bandaged legs and the cast around his left ankle. Since when did that happen?

Sasuke, who decided to rejoin the conversation, stared at Kakashi's wide eye. "Yeah, the doctor didn't know if they were paralyzed or not. Can't you feel them?"

Well…to a degree.

"Did they give me any pain killers?"

"Loaded you up on them."

Well, at least he knew he wasn't paralyzed, but why didn't the medicine work on his aching head. Anything waist down felt numb and sore, but his head felt like someone tried to cut it open down the center with an axe.

Kakashi sighed. "…I think you guys are going to get a short vacation."

Naruto began to whine again. "No way…"

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

They gathered somewhere on the far edge of the forest, four of the five disappointed with their report for the night.

"Well?"

Raidon had faith in his men, but when they came back as failures he had no problem with reminding them who they worked for. They were elite. They were unknown to the whole the world…nothing _ever_ went wrong…

Until tonight.

"Are you _deaf_?" He growled. "Did you find _it_!"

Jin, lowering his head in respect, dropped to one knee. "Forgive us, Master. We held the scent, but then it disappeared."

"We fear someone else has already found it." Taiku added, lowering next to Jin. "We will continue the search, but we have little hope of finding it before someone else meddles with it."

He turned his head away from the group, staring back into the forest darkly. Fists clenched, his knuckles began to turn white, the bone cracking audibly.

Namu, falling into place with the others, offered a solution. "The chamber won't disappeared now that's it's returned. When we _do_ find it, it'll hold the scent of anyone and everyone who was there when it was taken. From then on, we can track them down."

"It might be too late." He said, still disappointed but not yet irritated enough to take it out on anybody at the moment. "But do as you suggest—just don't attack anyone."

He could just _fell_ the waves of curiosity flowing from his team.

"I want to see if it's been used before you kill anyone. Stay hidden, but make sure you don't lose track of anyone…" He turned to face them again. "Do you need an _invitation_?"

They were gone in a flash, nothing more than shadows in the leaves by time he followed after. He'd find what he was looking for, and he'd be damned if anyone stood in his way…

-A and N-

Alex: O.O… Wait…You're a _bad-guy_?

Namu:…And?

Alex:…Expect a update soon, people—and thanks if you review! Just remember to save me from…

Namu: _(Smiling)_ You're not afraid of little old me, _are you_?

Alex:….I'm going to bed—Chill, people!

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And_

_Namu_


	2. Chapter two: The beginning of the game

Forbidden Skills

Alexnandru Van Gordon and Namu

Alex: Good-morning/afternoon/evening/night, everyone! Having fun yet?

Namu:…Aren't you going to say hi to me?

Alex:…I don't know, are you going to kill me?

Namu:…Thus far…No.

Alex: Okay—Hi!

Namu:…Let's get on with it

**Disclaimer:** Same as chapter one.

**CHAPTER TWO: The beginning of the game**

"Do you see anything?"

"…Yeah."

"Really?"

"In the sense of greenery, then yes."

Iruka sighed. Normally he would've jumped down into the 'cave' with Gai, but, from what Sakura said yesterday (while pulling everyone up with a rope), there wasn't much room to work around down there. It was okay for her when she had to help them pull everyone up, but two adults would have been pushing for an argument.

"So…his team thinks someone mugged him and threw him down there, while Kakashi is convinced he was somewhere entirely different and has no idea how anything of the like could have happened." Iruka recalled. "What do you think?"

"…I can give you my 'rival' opinion, or a 'concerned' opinion. Which would you like to hear?" Gai called back up, making his way to the surface.

"Hm…both."

"Rival-wise—I think someone finally caught him off guard, beat the hell out of him and threw him down there. Concerned-wise…I still think someone beat the hell out of him and tossed him down there."

Iruka mentally rolled his eyes. "There's not much of a difference between the two opinions."

"Yes there is." Gai grinned, pulling himself up onto the ground. "_Concerned_, I think Kakashi should take a long needed break, realize that he can't feel his legs, and admit to himself that it _is_ possible to be beat."

Oh yeah…why didn't he see that coming?

"He _will_ feel his legs again soon, you know."

Gai shrugged, rolling up the rope. "I know, but he won't be jumping around anywhere for at least a week."

"A _week_?" Iruka paused. "I was thinking somewhere closer to a _month_."

"He might be a little weak." Gai answered, letting his macho side out again. "But I have to admit he isn't _that_ weak. You couldn't keep him down, even if you tied him to the bed and had the Black Ops team watching over him. He'll swallow down the pain and start hopping around the room like a little bunny to get his knees back in shape—I dare you to send someone to watch. You'll see…"

Whoa, he never thought he'd see Kakashi hop around like that, but he was more concerned with the state of his body. Kakashi knew how to take a beating, and he knew his limits after using his Sharingan for too long. Kakashi had to realize this was one of those rare few situations where he'd have to swallow his pride.

Scratching the back of his head, Iruka followed after Gai as they headed back toward the village. "But honestly…what do you think happened to him?"

"Honestly?" Gai looked a little guilty. "I still think he was beat, but I have reason enough to believe it was due to what he ate."

"Oh?"

"Naruto said he mentioned something about _diet ramen_…"

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

The men took a while to leave, but Namu was on their heels already. Waiting until the coast was clear, Jin jumped down from the leaves and moved toward the hole cautiously.

"They're right, Kyoko." He muttered, staring down into the darkness. Two green dog-eyes glistened in the dim light and gave him a clear view of the odd cave. "It's nothing but roots and vines…"

Kyoko, crossing her arms and not even bothering to look down into the mess, turned away to stare after Namu. "But this is the place—no doubt about it. You said you could still pick up part of its scent from around here?"

"True…"

"…So, it hasn't been taken yet?"

Jin, brushing his long dark hair from his view, leaned forward to see deeper into the small pit. "I didn't say that—the scent is weak, but it's there…and _not_. I think whoever was here last only took part of it."

"But that still doesn't explain the sudden growth." Kyoko muttered, referring to the plant life swarming below. "I thought it was held in some gigantic cave…You think this was someone's doing?"

"It's more or less a some-_thing_ rather than a some-_one_. Do you believe in curses or spells?"

"Curses, somewhat; spells—not in the least bit."

Jin frowned up at the young brunette woman. "Why not?"

"…Just tell me why you think there's a spell or something on the place."

"I have no idea _why_, but I know whoever created it didn't want it to be taken all at once. Part of it is still here and the original creator was hoping to hide it from plain view."

Kyoko laughed incredulously, hands on her hips. "Oh—give me a break! I've heard enough of this Oogie-boogie mumbo-gumbo."

Jin flinched internally. _'This is coming from a woman who lives in a world of chakra-wielding ninja?'_

"It doesn't matter anyway—the Master wants the 'whole'." Jin sighed. "And I'm picking up four other scents besides the two guys who were just here."

She fake-saluted him. "Well then, captain, let's _hop-to_ before Taiku dies of boredom and the Master decides to beat some sense into us again."

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

"I'm bored."

"Shut up."

"…But I'm bored."

"I thought I told you to shut up…"

"…But—"

"_Naruto_, shut up!"

The blond-haired misfit shrugged and crossed his hands behind his head. Marching slowly behind Sakura and Sasuke, at least his legs were getting stretched from sitting in the hospital all night and day. It was noon by now and Kakashi actually admitted that he was tired. So, simply glad that he wasn't still comatose, his three students left quietly to find some other way to entertain themselves besides annoying their Sensei half to death.

"Why should I shut up?" He mumbled to Sakura. "I'm just speaking my mind…"

"Because I have a headache, and you only made it worse when we were visiting Kakashi Sensei."

"I had good reason…"

She didn't turn to face him, but he could just imagine seeing her roll her eyes. "And what possible reason could that be?"

Hs eye were shifty, dashing from one side of the alleyway to another, pausing only on the shadows. "…He's not telling us something."

Sakura stopped right then, Sasuke moving on, and turned to stare at his odd behavior. "_Duh_—he's kept plenty of secrets from us, and still does. Haven't you noticed the mask yet?"

Yeah….but pulling a cloth up over your mouth didn't count as a mask—and why did he do that anyway? It wasn't like Kakashi was hideously ugly or hiding under an assumed name or…_something_ related to those reasons.

"But….he seemed kind of distant." He tried to remember the far off look in his Sensei's eye. "Like something was on his mind."

"Well, _yeah_. Think about how many days he was unconscious. He was probably trying to remember how many dogs he has."

"Well…what happened to him?"

Sasuke decided to speak up now, waiting for the others to catch up. "Obviously we're going to ask Iruka and Gai Sensei."

"Really?"

Sakura frowned. "Where did you think we were going?"

…Actually, he thought they were just wandering around aimlessly.

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

As tired as he was, he couldn't sleep. It could have been because he slept three days straight, but that was just nonsense. It could have also been because he couldn't move or feel his legs as well as before, which was annoying the hell out of him. A few bruises and a broken ankle—how does _that_ count for paralyzing both legs?

He had no idea who did this to him, but the moment he remembered anything—aside from the creepy room—he was going to hunt them down personally…Whether or not he needed crutches.

Hearing voices outside his door, he opened his eye and sat up in bed. The moment he turned to face the door, it opened to reveal Iruka.

"How's it going?"

"Not bad." He replied to Iruka. Noticing Gai following into the room after his friend made him a little embarrassed (seeing how Gai always looked forward to proving how much better he was then Kakashi…and hey…wouldn't this be considered an opportune moment for such a thing?). But at least he could get the apology over and done with.

"Thanks for your help." He said, directing most of the appreciation to Gai. Iruka knew he was just as thankful to him. His friend, however, was finding it hard to hide a small grin at seeing his friend admit a little defeat. That wasn't something you saw everyday. Kakashi wasn't defeated on a regular basis.

"No problem." Gai replied, managing to sound sincerely humble. "But I wish we had some good news for you."

"The hole is just a hole." Iruka admitted. "Nothing more, nothing less. No one saw you after you ate lunch and the first person to go anywhere near the hole was Naruto. What happened between when you left and when you were found is a complete mystery to us all."

That didn't bother him in the least. "If you're implying that someone ditched me down there or I fell into the pit, then you're wrong. I'll figure it out on my own when I'm better, so don't worry. I'm sure you have other business to attend to."

Both Gai and Iruka made the same face of disbelief, glancing between each other uneasily. But—come on…he'd been through worse.

"Can you remember anything?"

Kakashi stared at Iruka. "No…"

There was long and eerie silence.

He knew they were doubtful. Kakashi was one of the best ninja and yet he had absolutely no idea what happened to him, which meant either something powerful was wandering around the village or he just proved he has completely human by making his first mistake in…a lot of years…

He was tired, he was sore, he could barely see straight, and if someone was standing right outside his window, waiting to shoot him down, he had little hope of noticing them as soon as he usually would. He really didn't want to dwell on the subject until he knew something more about what happened. Iruka, Gai and his team weren't the only ones that knew about the incident. Others would be keeping their eyes out and then the whole thing would fall back into place. Someone was bound to find the underlying cause of this "hole" sooner or later…

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

The hospital was a three storey high building and the men Namu was sent to follow made their way to a room on the first floor. It made his job easier. Standing up in the trees surrounding the building, he watched the window to the room in plain view as they began talking. Standing as still as stone, he listened quietly as they brought up the topic concerning the gap in the forest.

Thankfully for him, they had absolutely no idea what they got themselves into (quite literally), and now he knew _who_ exactly stumbled upon it first. The young guy with 'gray' hair…

"Boo!"

He shrugged his shoulder in irritation and refused to turn to Kyoko. She had _really_ bad timing when it came to delivering news.

"Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

"Oh…the guy with the mask is a cutie. Mind if I stay and watch for a while?"

"Don't you have something better to do?" He grumbled.

"Jin went to get Taiku. Apparently he they're chasing after three other kids who stumbled across the hole. What do you have to report?"

He smiled inwardly and sighed pleasantly. "I know who has it."

She paused. "…Really?"

"Look, stupid—what do you see!" He pointed to the room, gesturing to the three men inside the hospital room. "See the two guys barely in view and the one sitting in bed?"

"Oh yeah." She grinned.

"Think about it. What happens when you're adapting to it?"

Her smile faded and she voiced her answer quietly. "Temporary paralyses."

"And who here is a hospital patient?"

She grumbled something incoherent that sounded like a rant of bad luck. "This can't be good. We're in trouble on _soooooo_ many levels, and the moment Raidon-Sensei finds out he'll have our heads…"

'_That's what **you** think.' _ Namu mused to himself. Even if the young man was temporarily paralyzed (and no doubt feeling down with the weather), he was only _partially_ paralyzed. If he had used the whole of '_it_' then he would have been in a coma for nearly two weeks—and Namu knew for a fact (with the help of Jin's powers) that the gap in the forest only appeared a few days ago.

"What should I tell Jin and Taiku?" Kyoko asked.

"Follow those kids. They might have the other half—"

"If they haven't used it already."

"Just go already!"

With an immature groan, Kyoko was gone with the next uplift of the wind. Namu, no longer concerned with the men in the hospital, turned to find Jin and Taiku. Even if those kids didn't have the other half, they could still come in handy. The men were either a Chuunin or a Jounin, meaning that the 'three' kids had to be Genin belonging to one of their groups.

This could be interesting…

-A and N-

Alex: _(suspicious and evil glare)_…What are you up to now, _hmmmmm_……-.-……?

Namu: No idea. Raidon makes the rules.

Alex: And who _is_ this Raidon guy anyway?

Namu: _(smiles)_ You'll find out soon….

Alex:…Is he big and powerful?

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon,_

_And_

_Namu_


	3. Chapter three: The sole target

Forbidden Skills

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Alex: This is getting a little freaky…you aren't going to hurt anyone…are you?

Namu:…

Alex: I mean, why would you hurt anyone to begin with?

Namu:….O.o?...Are you seriously asking me that? Do I look like a good guy to you?

**Disclaimer: **Same as chapter one.

**CHAPTER THREE: The sole target…**

"Okay…a four lettered word that can describe a…_bird_."

"Hm…tiny?"

"Huge?"

"Blue."

"White!"

"_Naruto_, that's five letters! Learn how to count!"

Grumble… "Fine…_Nice_."

"Ugly."

"Dead."

"…"

"…"

"If birds can live, then they can _die_."

"…Fair enough…."

"Pest."

"Cute."

"Thin."

"_Annoying_."

"That's eight letters."

"I was referring to this game."

There was no use pretending he was asleep anymore. They weren't going to leave unless A) He physically threw them out; B) There was something terribly interesting for them to do elsewhere; or C) There was a sudden attack on the village and they went off to act like heroes—all of which weren't likely to happen any time soon. First of all, he could barely stand (there was no use trying to physically throw them out). Secondly, they'd been going in and out of his room in the last two days as though it was a public forum and that obviously meant they were bored out of their wits. Lastly, they were brave and they were talented—but they weren't heroes yet. Someone would probably lock them in the room with him if a crisis broke out in the village, and he would rather die then have to put up with that…

Opening his uncovered eye, Kakashi turned his head to stare at his group. The three if them were sitting across the room, propped up lazily against the far wall as they tried to invent games to keep themselves interested—either that, or they were trying to irritate the hell out of him. In that, they were successful.

"Shouldn't you be outside?" He hinted, stifling a yawn to hide any form of weakness. Rule number…'something-close-to-_one_'—never let your enemy know you're hurt or weak, and, right now, he was in the lion's den… "You know? Enjoying the weather…"

Sakura smiled. "Gai-Sensei said you might enjoy the company."

That conniving little…

Well, at least now he knew his team's being there was a masterfully laid-out plan devised by none other than Gai to get another step up on Kakashi. Let him laugh all he wanted. The moment Kakashi could get his hands on those release-papers, he'd gather up his dogs and…

"Something on your mind, Sensei?" Sakura asked meekly. Oh—she would know when someone was having an internal battle. She liked to do that a lot in the middle of a dilemma…

Smiling behind his mask, he tried to push aside the thought of Gai getting the best of him. "No—not at all, Sakura. How's your day been?"

She looked mildly frightened at the sudden change of topic (or it could have been due to the mischievous gleam in his eye) and Naruto fidgeted nervously where he sat. Sasuke, as usual, remained impassive.

"It was…interesting." She started. "We trained most of the time, but then we went to talk to Gai and Iruka Sensei. Gai Sensei mentioned you were probably bored out of your wits in here all by yourself. I also heard you were ordered not to leave unless the Hokage allowed you to sign the release forms. I never knew they could do that…"

Neither did he…until he was threatened to have both him and his team suspended from taking up any missions for the next five weeks, which, by the way, he didn't know they could do either… At first, he really only expected them to threaten him solely—which wouldn't have been a problem, but bringing his team into the mix only added the guilt factor to his conscious. But, as he was promised, if he stuck around in the hospital until they found out what was wrong with his legs and how to fix them, then his team wouldn't ever find out about the threat. Life would go on…

"Wow…" He laughed, forcing himself to sound surprised. "Who told you that?"

"Gai-Sensei." Naruto blurted out. "He also said—"

"How's _Lee_?"

The mute answer from his team meant the message was heard loud and clear. Sasuke allowed a minor smirk to slip past his usual stoic expression and Sakura blushed in utter torment.

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

"Well, _he's_ in a pleasant mood…" Naruto muttered, making sure to whisper as he reached to close the door.

"I can still hear you." Kakashi called from inside. Naruto twitched nervously but managed to close the hospital door without making another witty remark. Then he stalked over quietly to Sasuke and Sakura and followed them toward the stairs.

"I don't blame Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura noted with an 'I-know-everything' tone of voice. "No one knows what's wrong with his legs, and I don't think he likes missing out on all the action."

"Sure…" Sasuke grumbled. "That's why he reads those books."

"Yeah, but he's read them maybe seventy times over each."

"That _could_ be due to the content."

…Sakura had nothing to say to that.

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, but Sensei even admitted that his legs didn't look anything out of the ordinary. Just a few bruises here, a small sprain there…"

Sakura waved the idea off with her hand, reaching for the stairwell door and throwing it open. "Oh well, he'll be up and running soon. In the meantime, we should be—"

"Hi!"

She nearly knocked Naruto over when she stumbled back into the hall. Not many people stalked the stairwell, preferring to the elevator on most days, and the somewhat short boy before went completely noticed until he spoke up.

Standing before her, not much taller than shoulder-height, was a little boy who was maybe eight or nine years of age. Wearing a toque, a baggy sweater and a plain summer shorts, the boy looked like one of the students from the academy. Hands shoved into his pockets, eyes glittering happily, he looked like a perfectly innocent child…

"Sorry." She laughed weakly, stepping aside with her companions to let him through. "I hope I didn't scare you nearly as much as you scared me."

"Not at all!" He chirped happily, stepping inside but deciding to stay. "Wanna play with me?"

"Uh…"

"We have to go." Naruto grumbled, trying to shoo him away. "Maybe some other time."

The watery-eyed look the boy gave them put Sakura on the brink of tears. "But….I-I just wanted to play tag. I mean—you all look so _big_. You can catch me, can't you? No problem—right?"

Naruto felt like saying something else, but found himself rubbing the back of his neck in irritation. Now he knew how Kakashi-Sensei felt when they played the word game…

"We should really get going." Naruto finally replied. "Drop by the academy and maybe we'll play after we train."

"No then?" The boy asked quietly, stepping back into the stairwell. Stopping at the last step, he turned sideways and took his hands from his pockets. "Then I guess you won't be needing this then, eh?"

And—lo and behold—he was holing Naruto's headband.

"HOW THE HELL!"

The kid didn't give them much time to react, sprinting down the stairs at break-neck speed with Naruto hot on his tail. Laughing to herself, Sakura hopped down the stairs in slow pursuit.

'…_No kidding.'_ Sasuke thought. _'How did that kid do that without any of us seeing?'_ It wasn't as if they'd grown rusty after all this time without missions. They still trained and they had a fair amount of experience beneath their belts. How then, exactly, did some little kid snatch Naruto's headband without taking his hands out of his pockets…

More importantly, if he wanted to play tag, why was he hanging around at the hospital?

Knowing well enough that Naruto deserved losing his headband permanently, Sasuke turned around and started back toward Kakashi's room. Waiting…just to see…

Not actually entering the room, he waited outside in the hall and leaned against the wall near his door.

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

Jin hated trees. Yeah, they provided shade. Yes, you could grow things on them. And hey—it was easy to hide up in one, but forests brought back bad memories and the sooner they left the better. So, just on the brink of twiddling his thumbs, he waited as Taiku raced from the hospital and into the forest at rapid speed. Behind the youth were two of the other people he smelt earlier at the hole…

Where was the third?

Waiting for them to pass, he jumped down onto the path and took a good whiff of their scent…No, neither one had any part of _it_.

'_Glad that's settled.'_ He thought to himself. Earlier on, he checked out the two men Namu saw at the hospital the other day, and that eliminated four out of the six suspects on their list. They already knew that the one residing in the hospital had part of _it_ (if not all of it), and that left one other member…

"Namu. Kyoko." He called back up into the trees.

"Yeah?" They answered back in unison.

"They haven't got it."

"Is that all of them?" Kyoko yawned. She, like everyone else, was bored from sitting around the entire time. Action was something they were all eager to get a piece of soon.

"There's one more, but I think Namu's suspect is the only one who really stumbled across _it_. You know what that means?"

Namu couldn't suppress his grin. "Take and run?"

"—and eliminate." Kyoko added for good measure.

Jin nodded. "Certainly. We'll grab the guy and return to kill anyone who knows about the hole besides him. Now group…" He smiled mischievously. "…be_ gentle_. We don't want to draw anyone else into this matter."

"No problem." Kyoko promised, fingers undoubtedly crossed behind her back. "In and out in a flash…"

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

Seeing Naruto and Sakura race past him at high speed while chasing a little boy wasn't something he saw everyday. It was peculiar…but new things were bound to happen and if he didn't get Kakashi's odd talking dog, Pakkun, to see his master soon, he was sure the little mutt was going to bite his hand off.

"I can't believe this…He falls unconscious for a couple of days and forgets to tell anyone about his dogs…" The little runt muttered heavily, lying lazily in Iruka's arms as they headed toward the hospital.

"He didn't forget about you. He even reminded me to talk to you today."

"Yeah, well…" The dog tried his best to look upset. "You're not much help. The food you give us tastes like _dirt_."

"I gave you the food _he_ told me to give you."

"Yeah right..."

Iruka grinned. "He said you were on a _diet_. Maybe that's why it tastes so bad."

The little dog made a snorting noise and stuck his nose up arrogantly, "If I wanted to lose weight, then I'd do it…I just have heavy bones."

"You _fat_ little liar—"

Iruka shut-up mid-sentence when the dog chomped down on his left hand. Waving it frantically, he nearly collided with the hospital door. Pakkun released his grip when Iruka nearly rammed him into the wall, landing almost like a cat and strutting in ahead of Iruka as he stepped inside.

"What would Kakashi say if he ever found out you bite anyone who argues with you?"

"No idea. He hasn't ever caught me before."

Iruka smiled inwardly, gitty at the thought of ratting on the dog, but didn't quite feel like having the mutt on his bad side. For such a small creature, he sure could bite.

"He'll catch you sooner or later."

Pakkun made a small attempt at shrugging, padding off toward the elevator. Iruka had to run to catch up (originally wanting to take the stairs) and pushed any further 'fat' insults to the back of his mind.

"If the other dogs could talk, I'm sure he would." Pakkun admitted. "But they're such _suck-ups_. They'd do anything to get his attention."

"Well…dogs like attention, don't they? You sure as heck do."

Pakkun snorted again. "Ha ha—very funny. If he isn't off training or dealing with a mission, he's taking care of them. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time we sat down to play chess."

The sudden image of Kakashi playing chess with a small—and 'pudgy'—dog made him chuckle (near to the brink of laughing his head off). Luckily, Pakkun didn't take notice.

"Well…today's your day. His kids are obviously off running around"–images of Naruto and Sakura on the run came back to mind again—"And I have to get back to work in half an hour. I don't believe he has any other visitors to see today."

"With my luck, he'll probably be sleeping."

Iruka paused. "How often does he sleep?"

"Usually when no one's looking. He _is_ human, you know."

The elevator, now slowing in motion, came to halt on the third floor. Waiting for the old doors to open, Iruka and Pakkun filed out into the hall.

"That was slow…" Iruka muttered. "The stairs would have been much faster."

Pakkun glared up at him and he decided to say nothing more.

That's when he noticed Sasuke, Staring down the hall at teacher and dog, Sasuke didn't say much, but the look in his eyes did most of the talking for him. Most certainly, something was _way_ off in the universe.

"What's wrong with this kid?" Pakkun thought aloud. "Looks like he ate some bad Ramen…"

"_Shut up_." Iruka hissed. "Something's wrong."

"Like what?"

Iruka didn't have the chance to answer. There was a loud crash from inside Kakashi's room and Sasuke was partway through opening the door when Iruka sprinted down the long hall toward him.

Something was wrong alright…

-A and N-

Alex: Wow, that was longer than usual.

Namu:….Only a little.

Alex: Thanks for the reviews everyone!

Namu: I demanded more reviews!

Alex: Don't review if you don't want to—but thanks for your opinions anyway! ;)

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Namu_


	4. Chapter four: The name of the game is

Forbidden Skills

Alexnandru Van Gordon and Namu

Alex: Namu has made a pact with me.

Namu:…O.o? I have?

Alex: Yes—I won't continue to write this story unless he promises not to kill anyone.

Namu:…

Alex: Well?

Namu:…-.-…Fine…but I can't speak for the rest of my team.

Alex:) Fair enough.

**Disclaimer:** Refer to chapter one…Wow…that's so much easier than what I used to say…

**CHAPTER FOUR: The name of the game is…**

He should have known better—he should have been better prepared! Not only was he handicapped for who knows how long—but now he was beginning to lose his mind! He was better than this!

He should've _known _better…

"I need a railing in here…" Kakashi muttered to himself, resting both hands on the bed and propping himself up off the floor. Unable to keep his balance on his feet (actually, he couldn't put any weight on his knees whatsoever without them buckling automatically of their own accord), he was forced to sit on the side of the bed and stare at the teasing window (_'freedom…sweet freedom outside these walls…'_)—when!—all of a sudden!—Iruka and Sasuke came crashing through the door. Sasuke, despite the cool and collective façade he used twenty-four/seven, fell face first to the ground with Pakkun sitting on his back. Iruka maintained his balance (somehow) and could only blush as Kakashi gave him the most peculiar look a person with a mask _could _give…

"Forgot something?" He asked as he refrained from laughing. "Or am I really this popular?"

"We heard a crash…" Sasuke said beneath Pakkun—whom he threw off in one swift movement as he jumped to his feet. "What happened?"

"…I tried to _walk_." Somehow he found himself stroking his chin thoughtfully. "…Maybe those nurses had a point when they told me not to try it…"

Iruka made the best _'Duh'_ face to date and Sasuke's left eye twitched—quite noticeably, actually. Kakashi could see him as a villain if he kept that up…

"Glad to see _someone's_ feeling better…" Iruka joked, now throwing the little incident over his shoulder like a handful of useless dirt. "And what were you trying to do that anyway? Jump out the window?"

"No…" He lied. In all honesty, that was the general idea. A man could only stand (or lie) aside for so long before his dignity and pride started to eat away at his mind again. He thought maybe if he walked down to the academy and showed everyone he was fine, they'd forget about the whole 'threat' factor…Maybe that was wishful thinking, but hey—he liked to challenge himself.

'_Challenge myself…more like **kill** myself…I couldn't even take a damn step toward the window…'_

"Can windows smirk evilly at you?"

Iruka quirked an eyebrow. "What have they got you on anyway?"

"Absolutely _nothing_. I don't eat any of that medicine they give me, and I know _exactly_ what food they put it in."

"You've been _watching_ them—_stalking_ them?"

"Nope, but this is far from my first visit to the hospital. I know their tricks…"

Iruka looked up to his left, remembering the last time Kakashi landed himself in the emergency room…

"Just don't try it again." Sasuke muttered, saying more than Kakashi usually heard him say. "The sooner you heal, the sooner we get on with our lives."

"Wow…" Kakashi had to pause at that theory. "…You've obviously never _lived_ before, have you?"

The _'huh´_ look was expected—the _skuriken_ wasn't. It zipped past his head from the window and impaled itself in the left side of the doorframe. What surprised him more was the fact that none of them noticed anyone within shooting range…

He _really_ should have known better…

'…_Maybe they got smart and put the medicine in the water…'_ He thought to himself. "Pakkun, be so kind as to escort Sasuke to the stairs."

Sasuke moved to protest but Pakkun had him by the hand already. Trying to shake the little mutt off (and yes—those teeth were sure to leave a mark), Iruka pushed him out into the hall and slammed the door shut behind him.

"You really must be popular…" Iruka remarked…

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

"Damn…I _missed_…"

"I swear, every time you're getting worse…."

Kyoko made a face but bit her tongue. Anyone who argued with Namu in a bad mood was as good as dead. "Well…at least they ditched the third kid. Did he have anything, Jin?"

The dark haired man shook his head. "He's clean. Hatake Kakashi is the only one we need."

"You know him?" Kyoko had heard of the guy before—Kakashi the _Mirror Ninja_—but she hadn't the slightest idea of what he looked like aside from the Sharingan Eye…perhaps that was why he had his left eye covered…made sense, anyway…

"Not personally, but anyone who's had to fight him knows that he's not worth messing with."

"_Scared_ are we?" Kyoko mocked—Namu was already ahead of them, dashing into the room. "He's partially paralyzed. Hit him in the head and he'll get a couple extra hours of sleep before the Master bugs the hell out of him."

"Oh…I'm shivering alright." Jin laughed. "But so are you."

She hid her hands behind her back. Quite frankly, she was scared to death. Not many people fought Kakashi and lived to tell the tale—so whoever few were there to send a warning must have been scared out of their wits…and…she was too.

"I get dibs on the guy with the ponytail…"

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

Silver hair and a porcelain mask, half black/half white—either the kid was all costume and no skill, or he'd been a winner long enough to decide he was worthy of a mask.

The young man was followed through the window by a petit woman with red hair and energetic green eyes. Beside her came a man with long black hair, tall and pale…_menacing_…The woman was a flame and he was the unmovable stone—the first figure was still a mystery.

It was days like these that Kakashi wished he was at home.

"Most civilized people use the door." He said aloud. Seeing that he had no choice but to sit on the edge of the bed, he couldn't do a thing until they attacked. "And they tend to refrain from wearing heavy black cloaks in this kind of weather."

The woman snorted arrogantly. "Aren't you the talkative kind of guy…"

The silver-haired guy cracked his neck.

Then there was silence…

"…Are you here for something, or do you get a thrill out of breaking into the hospital?"

"Oi, I think you're a little annoying." The woman answered.

"Thanks. The feelings mutual. Now…do I have to _guess_ why you're here?"

"You should already know." The guy with the mask said. His voice was deep and stern—not the kind of person to take lightly. "You stumbled across something in the forest a few days ago, did you not?"

The hole…

"Maybe."

Iruka was bored—either that or he really didn't like it when Kakashi made small talk with creepy guys that jumped through people's windows. Honestly…the next time he was at the hospital, he was going to ask for an inner room…no smirking windows…they were evil.

Iruka was now between Kakashi and the group of intruders in the blink of an eye. His kunai was out, as was that of the masked man, and the two clashed blades as they pushed against each other. The tall man remained by the back window but the woman was gone before Kakashi realized she even moved.

"Hey cutie." Came a voice from behind him. The blade of her dagger pressed lightly to the front of his throat as she knelt on the bed.

"Um, thanks for the compliment...But jumping into my room isn't exactly a nice way to get someone's attention." He said—then he shoved his elbow into her gut. She was quick, but she was a rookie, and the moment she gasped for air he grabbed her arm, stood, and threw her over his shoulder—nearly falling to the ground with her. He had to sit back down again as his knees buckled, protesting against the attack…

Oi…he was going to _die_.

"Not bad." The second man said—and Oi! He was quick too. Somehow, dodging around the small battle between Iruka and the masked man, he, like the girl, managed to get from one side of the room to the other without Kakashi noticing….Something was definitely wrong with him.

The woman on the ground groaned…Even though she was an enemy, he kind of felt bad if he broke her neck in the throw. But that would have to be left for later thought. The tall menacing freak before him didn't look anything like a rookie…

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

"Get back here you little _twerp_! When I get my hands on you—"

"Less shouting—more running, Naruto! He's not letting up."

"I can see _that_!"

Good grief—no wonder she couldn't get Sasuke to give her the time of day—she was a damn banshee! Always was, now that he thought about it…Yeah….some weird banshee with pink hair. Which, he just found out, she didn't dye that colour….

Creepy.

"You guys are so much fun!" The little twerp squealed in delight—_always_ an arm's reach away from Naruto and Sakura. They were both hot on his tail but every time they seemed to get closer, the more energy the little boy would collect. "_Wheeeeeee_!"

"That's not a toy!" Naruto barked. "Just give it back and we'll play some other game with you!"

"Really?"

He nearly fell over the kid. The small boy came to a complete halt, heels digging into the ground and dust gathering up in a cloud as he skidded against the dirt. The cloud gathered around Naruto and Sakura and when it cleared up he found his headband tied tightly back around his forehead….

He didn't know whether to be astonished beyond belief or so freaked out that he'd be paranoid of little children for the rest of the year. How on _earth_ did a little shrimp his size…

The boy was no longer in front of them. He was behind them in the long alleyway, waving innocently with a bold-faced smile plastered onto his face.

"The name of the game _is_..." The boy paused… "_Shiritori_!"

Naruto made a face. "…huh?"

Sakura elbowed him in the stomach. "It's a word game. Someone says a word and the next person has to use the last syllable of that word as the first syllable of their own."

"Oh…didn't the girls at the academy play that game a lot?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the little boy. "Can we play this later? We really want to see our Sensei back at the hospital and—"

"You can't."

The two Genin froze with blank faces while the little boy laughed. He clapped his hands together twice and suddenly they each felt a great build-up of pressure against their chests.

"What…what's going on?" Naruto asked, finding it hard to breathe. He tried to take a step forward—falling to his knees as an electrical shock passed throughout his body. "Ah! _What the heck was that_!"

"Every time you move the pressure grows until the shock is strong enough to kill you." The boy smiled, folding his hands neatly behind his back. "If you play and win, I'll release the pressure."

The colour from Sakura's face drained instantly. "W-what if we lose?"

He continued to smile. "You see, you have three seconds to say your word—I'll go first, the boy second and you, miss, will go last, over and over again in that order. If you can't provide a word within your three seconds, you'll be fine, but if both of you fail then I'll kill you both. Oh—and the word can be anything! A name, an object, a place, a food, an animal—anything you like!"

"You can't be serious!"

The boy pulled a hand out in front of him and snapped his fingers. In an instant the pressure grew and Naruto was shocked yet again.

"Wanna bet?" He waited for an answer. "No? Okay then—let's begin!..._Books_!"

Naruto paused for only a moment. "S…snake!"

"K-kelp!" Sakura stuttered and it was the little boy's turn again."

"Pumpkin!"

"Indigo?" Naruto suggested.

"O…Ornament!"

"Entity."

"T…" Naruto hesitated. "Wait—Teacup!"

"Upright!"

"Telephone."

"Owner!"

"Ner…nervous!"

"Us."

"Us…" Naruto looked to Sakura. "What starts with 'us'?"

She shrugged."

"You're out, little man!" The boy shouted out with glee. "Looks like it's just me and the pink-haired lady. So, on to round two—_Eel_!"

"L…lion!"

"Onward." He grinned.

"Dead." Sakura hissed.

"Edison!"

"Sun."

"Uh…'Sun'…uh…._damn_." The boy stomped his foot like the little brat he was. "No fair…but that doesn't matter." Neither of the Genin liked the look in his eyes. "I'm still going to kill you anyway. But be at ease knowing you're the only kids to have ever won against me at my own ga—"

He didn't get the chance to finish his statement, and for that Naruto was grateful. He wasn't exactly a big fan of Lee, but when his Sensei, Gai, showed up at the oddest of times, he had to be thankful they lived in Konoha. He knew Kakashi and Gai weren't exactly best friends, but the strange man did come in handy at times.

"Quite the little brat, aren't you?" Gai muttered, holding the child up by the scruff of his baggy sweater—but not before he smacked him a good one upside the head. "But, that'd be an understatement, wouldn't it?"

The boy kicked furiously. "Put me down!"

"How old are you exactly? Nineteen—twenty maybe?"

The boy seized in his struggles…then grinned. "Well, I guess I should you give you more credit than I first thought you were worth. Tell me, what did I let slip?"

"The word game—you played it with me last year?"

The boy shrugged (or was he a boy?) and disappeared in a puff of smoke for the briefest of moments. Gai was caught in the cloud, coughing and stepping aside, and then all eyes turned on an older young man kneeling where the boy once stood. He wore the same clothes, although they stretched easily to the correct size, and the same grin remained as he straightened up and crossed his arms. Who _was_ he?

"I'm Taiku of the Hidden Moon Village. I remember you, sir, and that little look-alike brat from last year."

"I knew I saw you somewhere else before." Gai muttered. "And what brings you here? The last time I ran into you, you were part of some kidnapping organization. Got bored, or do I have to beat some sense into your gang yet again?"

"I ditched those losers a while back." The young man boasted. "But I'm still the number one slave-dealer this side of the world. And if you're half as smart as you let everyone on to believe, then you should already know who I'm after."

Gai actually looked surprised for a moment.

"Whoa—brownie-points for the old man. This just gets better and better." The young man smiled. "New game—whoever gets to him first gets to keep him—_see ya_!"

And then he was gone.

Gai didn't waste any time either. He turned to Sakura and mouth one word before disappearing into thin air as well.

Then there was silence…a small breeze picked up in the alleyway and blew the dust aside as they stood quietly in thought. The pressure had long since left them but even then Naruto hesitated to stand. The shock he received early cramped up his muscles a bit…

"Sakura…what did Gai say to you?"

When he turned to face her, she was pale. "…Kakashi."

-A and N-

Namu:…Please explain something to me….

Alex: Shoot."

Namu: Kakashi was on the first floor of the hospital in one chapter…and then suddenly he's on the third in the next one…How does that happen?

Alex: Depending on where you live, the hospitals place people differently. Where I live, emergency and comatose patients are kept on the first floor. Long term, operation, and all other patients are moved to the higher up floors. After Kakashi woke up, I simply had it so that he was moved upstairs.

Namu:…I see…

Alex: _(waving happily)_ See you later, people! Have a wonderful upcoming weekend!

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

_And,_

_Namu_


	5. Chapter five: The spirit of the curse

Forbidden Skills

Alexnandru Van Gordon and Namu

Namu: I'VE GOT YOU NOW!

Alex: _(confused and…scared)_…You've got who?

Namu: The Friggen viewers! I KNOW YOU READ THIS! I checked out the hits and the names on our "add story" list. I know angel-boy doesn't mind if you don't review—but I do!

Alex:…First, I'm _not_ an angel-boy. Second, what are you going to do about it?

Namu: _(Evil smile…closes curtain. Struggles sound from behind until the curtains are pulled aside again and you see Alex tied to a chair, bound and gagged)_ Now, you have four days to review, or something _bad_ might happen to angel-boy here. And you know what that means? No reviews—no Alex. No Alex—_no story…_

**Disclaimer:** Refer to chapter one

**CHAPTER FIVE: The spirit of the curse**

Push and shove—that's all the game was about. But neither would budge. Iruka was face to face with the masked maniac after his friend, and both appeared to be at a stand-still…hence the word _'appeared'_. The man was just holding him back because he didn't want to break into a full-out battle right then and there in the room. Maybe the intruder didn't want to risk hurting his comrades. Perhaps he didn't want to risk injuring what he came for…

Well, that thought went out the window in a flash—as did Sasuke and the tall, black-haired man. With his back to his door, Iruka didn't exactly know who burst in just at that moment, but they wasted no time in tackling the larger man before he could react.

And with the glass, they took part of the frame. And with both of _those_ they successfully drew on the attention of everyone in the room.

This was his break.

Iruka reached forward when his opponent ducked out of the two men's way. Kunai ready, he waited until the man turned back to face him before pulling his arm back and—

The enemy froze. "_Holy sh_—"

"Duck, Iruka!"

He barely had time to register the sound of Kakashi's voice before he hit the floor flat on his stomach. His opponent tried to kneel out of the way, but the blast of light—whatever it was—hit him with a force great enough to blow both his body and the wall with him out into the hospital yard.

Where the hell did that come from?

Oh wait…that would be his pal.

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

God…that man could hit a person harder than a hammer could hit a nail. What did he eat? Broccoli…bananas…diet ramen? She really had no idea—but she was dying to find out. He might have sounded nice, but that last throw nearly broke her neck.

Opening her eyes slowly, not brave enough to move just quite yet, Kyoko moved her arm to reach for the small mirror tucked under her shirt. Then suddenly—

"_Holy sh—_"

"Duck, Iruka!"

…And a blinding white light that shoved Namu into the wall, breaking it, and sending both him and the wood out into the trees below. The man with the funky ponytail stayed frozen where he lay flat on his stomach just a few feet away from her, probably expecting a second blow.

This was her chance.

Hand closing around the small metal handle to her mirror, Kyoko pulled it up to her face just as the ponytail man turned to look at his comrade. Naturally the glint from the mirror's surface caught his eye and he couldn't help but look her way—

His body slumped to the ground and the man behind him made something that sounded like half a gasp.

"Iruka…Iruka!"

She heard him move and decided that he probably hadn't noticed she was conscious yet.

Good.

Despite the pain in her neck, she rolled over onto her back, mirror by her face, and stared straight at Hatake Kakashi. He glanced at her, then the mirror—

—and his body fell off the edge, slumping to the ground beside her.

"Sorry, cutie." She whispered, reaching toward her belt for two kunai. Good grief her neck hurt… "But so long as I possess your soul, there's nothing you can do to stop us…"

Her 'magic' mirror was something her mother created when she was a little girl. After her mother was murdered and she had her revenge on the pack of thieves that raided her, Kyoko had since used it for its true purpose—as a Soul Stealer. So long as Kyoko or someone of her bloodline consciously gripped the handle, anyone who dared to glance at the perfectly glossy surface would have their soul torn from their body and buried deep within the mirror's hidden dimension. And there was only one way to get out…

She took a moment to stare at the polished surface of each kunai before facing them with the mirror. There was something of a sparkle on each blade and the souls were transported into the weapons. All the others needed to do was get a drop of blood from anything living in the world onto the blades and the souls would be free.

Which soul held Kakashi's, however, was a mystery to her.

"Kyoko?"

It was Taiku, in adult form, standing in the doorway now. He looked over the two soulless figures before kneeling at her side, worried.

"What happened? Can you move?"

"No…" She gasped. The pain in her neck was numbing…but so was the rest of her body. "I think…I think I won't be able to follow you from here. Maybe I'll catch up later…"

"You can't." Taiku muttered. "One of the other ninja's ran into me right before I got rid of the kids. He's going to bring others with them…Where's Jin and Namu?"

"Outside…" She grumbled; eyes moving in the direction of the blown off wall. Taiku made a whistling noise and she continued. "Take Hatake Kakashi's body and these kunai. Then scram before they get here. I can take care of myself…"

"Kyoko…"

"Stop acting mushy and leave already!"

Taiku looked as though he was about to protest before someone shouted outside in the hall. People were finally wondering what all the ruckus was about…

"Fine—just don't die on us before we get rewarded for our 'job-well-done'."

She laughed and he moved toward Kakashi. Slinging him over one shoulder, Taiku grabbed the kunai, slipped them into a pouch tied to his waist, and sprinted toward the broken wall and outside just as Kyoko lifted the mirror toward her face. Someone burst into the room and—

…darkness…

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

He knew what his men were up to. If he sat down and meditated long enough, he could see what was happening through one member's eyes. Kyoko was his choice this time. He noted everything from his team bursting into the room, to Hatake Kakashi knocking Kyoko out momentarily, to, finally, Kyoko possessing her kunai with the two souls she collected. Then her reflection came to mind before he was cut off from her permanently. She sacrificed herself up to her own mirror…

"Well done, Kyoko." Raidon mused to himself. "You were useful while you were around."

In theory, she wasn't exactly 'dead' persay, but since her soul was trapped within the mirror, chances that the ninja of the village would realize how to resurrect her for questioning were few and far between. And, if by chance the mirror shattered, Kyoko could be lost forever…

He doubted anyone from his team would be willing to save her skin, so she was practically lost forever in her mirror.

Goodbye, Kyoko. Have a wonderful afterlife.

Brushing himself up as he stood, Raidon gazed up at the darkening sky. He was situated now near the entrance to the cave the man had wandered down into earlier, and, if he listened close enough, he could hear the faint cry of a condemned soul wandering around hopelessly in the hole below. That was what probably attracted the Jounin earlier. Why the spirit of the curse passed part of its power onto Kakashi was a mystery to Raidon, but only certain people in the world fit the soul requirements to obtain such power. Seeing that the power was permanently stained on the person's soul (sometimes lingering on even into the afterlife) meant that the man couldn't simply be killed. He would have to remain alive to be of any use to Raidon.

But that was fine. Raidon had a way with words and he knew how to manipulate even the most closed-minded of men.

'_He probably doesn't even know what he's capable of now.'_ Raidon thought to himself. From what his team reported to him earlier on in the day meant that the man couldn't even remember having the power bestowed upon him. _'This should prove to be interesting'_

Well, that was fine with him. He was bored. A little fun would brighten his day.

-NarutoNarutoNaruto-

When Morino Ibiki was called down to interrogate some girl who burst into the hospital and aided a group of hoodlums in the abduction of Hatake Kakashi, Ibiki expected her to _at least_ be conscious. She was even worse out-cold—she was as good as dead.

They didn't need to tie her up, just dropped her body onto a table in his little 'dungeon' and laid out all her weapons nearby. It wasn't anything much…save for that creepy mirror. Even he didn't like touching it. The glossy surface was somewhat murky but he swore he saw the shadow of someone behind the glass the moment he picked it. Maybe it was just his eyes…anyway (note to self—don't touch the mirror anymore).

Leaning over to see her face, he used two fingers to open one eyelid and gazed down into her pupil. It was almost none-existent. Her eyes were glossed over with the same gunk you would find on a dead-man's eyes. If not for the steady rise and fall of her chest, he'd label her _dead_ and ask for someone of the ANBU to dispose of her body properly.

"What do we do?" His assistant asked.

Ibiki sighed. "This has something to do with that mirror. I know it…We'll have to look into it and see how we can wake this kid up for interrogation. How's Iruka?"

"He's in the same state as the girl. No one knows what to do."

"Hook him up to life-support—same as the girl. Otherwise their bodies will deteriorate before we can figure out how to revive them…By the way." Ibiki glanced side-ways at his assistant. "Does anyone know why they came after Kakashi?"

"…Not yet. But I bet it has something to do with his injuries and his lack of memory. His students don't know a thing about it."

"I hear one of them jumped out the window at the hospital. Three stories…"

The man chuckled. "He lived, but the man he took with him ran away the first chance he got. Sasuke told me he saw the wall being blown off above him a moment later. No one knows who did that, though."

Well, that was all fine and dandy. At least the kid had something interesting to tell his friends about…Must have been pretty brave to jump out a window just to get rid of a guy.

"Well, let's get to work then." Ibiki muttered. "Hand me that damn mirror…"

-A and N-

Alex: I'm sorry if this one was a bit short, but we're getting back into the habit of working on it. I finished finals, so now I don't have school in the way anymore. Yay!

Namu:…Didn't I tie you up earlier?

Alex: You did…but I escaped.

Namu: _(frowns)_ Damn…I was really looking forward to some feedback from the viewers…


End file.
